


Good Idea #1

by freezing over hell (buckybarness)



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Baking, Domestic Avengers, Fluff, M/M, bucky doesnt like processed food, clint barton actually has a good idea, sam wilson was actually wrong about a thing, so many references to hawkeye comics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-15
Updated: 2014-08-15
Packaged: 2018-02-13 07:29:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2142369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buckybarness/pseuds/freezing%20over%20hell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve and Bucky bake brownies.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Good Idea #1

"I dunno, Steve. Try baking or something. That calms people, right?" Clint was not good advice. He was good at many things, things involving arrows and coffee machines and maybe even dogs, but advice was not on this list of things. 

And yet, Rogers looks hopeful, even excited about baking with an ex-Soviet assassin. Clint thinks his co-workers are weird. Then he stops thinking that, because Steve is _Captain America_ , Clint can't think he's _weird_ , that's probably illegal, or something. 

"We can do baking. That's good. Thanks, Barton." Rogers walks to the door.

"No problem, bro."

Clint's about to go back to organizing his arrows when Steve is in his doorway again.

"Where can you buy brownie ingredients?"

***

"Steve, that's a bad idea."

Sam was probably right, after all it was Clint's idea, and Sam tends to be right about things. 

However, Steve being a a super soldier mainly composed of stubbornness and habits of both self-sacrificing and doing incredibly stupid, brave stunts, he did not adhere to Sam's advice on this one.

Steve took a bite of sandwich. They were having lunch in a deli down the block from Steve and Bucky's apartment in Brooklyn. When Steve had told Sam that he and Bucky were moving to NYC, Sam declared they needed someone who was sane around and followed.

"How can we know that? He's doing better than anyone expected. He has his memories. And I know no one else can tell, but he has his _personality_ back, Sam."

Sam sighed.

"Okay, but if your baking ends up being any good, I better be getting some of it."

***

In the craziness that is Stop and Shop, two ninety-somethings stood amidst the produce section looking utterly dazed. (Now would be the time a helpful employee would have assisted the elders, but said employee was kind of frightened by the shorter of the two men, who was not very short at all, actually, and who appeared to have a _metal arm_ , and who was also glaring at some innocent strawberries.)

"Steve, there's _so much_."

Steve was looking up at the signs labeling the aisles.

"I know, Buck. This one seems even bigger than the other, too."

Steve had gone to another super market with Natasha, once, after she had seen his fridge and decided he needed some advice on 21st century food. They had left the store with 10 boxes of Mac 'N Cheese, three jars of Nutella, French Vanilla coffee creamer, and a headache. After hearing the retelling of The Nightmare at the Market (as it had been named by Darcy), Tony rolled his eyes, but signed the team up for a grocery delivery program. The only issue is that the avengers have access to each others' accounts, and sometimes they accidentally send each other things. Steve has gotten Bruce's green tea and Clint's organic dog food multiple times. (The reason Clint gives his dog organic food is due to Natasha, but that's a long story.) Sometimes, they purposely send each other things. He'll get American flag cupcakes, courtesy of Tony Stark, or some odd and _amazing_ food from Natasha that he would never think of trying if she hadn't sent him it.

Steve turns to look at Bucky and fins him carefully masking an awed expression and a bit pale.

"We don't have to do this. We can go home." Bucky met Steve's gaze. Steve saw his jaw lock and the familiar determined eyes of a sniper that was one hundred percent Bucky Barnes.

"We're getting your fucking brownie mix, punk." Bucky nodded his head, a way of telling Steve to continue the search and silently promising to follow.

Steve smiled in the free, pure way that made him feel nineteen and that only Bucky could get out of him. Then, he put on his Captain face, as Peggy and Bucky used to call it, because apparently, they're going to get through Stop and Shop the way they infiltrated HYDRA facilities back in the forties.

"Here's what we need," Steve began, voice sharp in that military way, "double fudge brownie mix, a dozen eggs, organic milk, flour, and strawberries."

"I'm on the mix and flour. Strawberries on your five o'clock."

"Rendezvous here in 10." Bucky was already darting away as Steve warily approached the strawberries.

Nine and a half minutes later, the soldiers were back in front of the strawberries.

"Got everything?"

Bucky nodded, then seemed nervous. "Steve, I know you said double fudge -- and I got that -- but they also had triple chocolate crunch, and I, uh,"

"Buck, it's okay. We can buy those too, pal. As long as it has instructions."

Bucky was visibly relieved. Steve put his arm around Bucky's shoulders not unlike the way Bucky put his arm around Steve when he was ninety pounds of stubborn and ten kind of trouble (the numbers have changed now, but the ratio is still the same, in Bucky's opinion). They walked toward the register with smiles on their faces.

***

"What the hell is this."

Steve looked up from his sketchbook to find Bucky staring at a bag of dark brown powder like it was a dead rat in a bowl of soup (that had happened, once, at the orphanage; they don't like to talk about it).

"Guess that's the brownie mix." Bucky's brow was furrowed. "Do you wanna make it now?" Steve asked hesitantly. 

"This shit is gross." He said, rather than answering. "What are you supposed to do with this?" He poked at the plastic bag with a steak knife.

"Mix it with the other ingredients? I'm not sure. That's how most food is made, these days."

"We're not eating this crap. Even the sisters at the orphanage made brownies from real food. Gross real food, but it was real. Tell Barton to shove this shit up his ass."

"You wanna make 'em from scratch?" Steve can't deny the hopeful tone in his voice. Sure, he had lived with the food in this age for two years, but as great as Mac 'N Cheese is, he'd never tell Nat that thinking about how it was made and what must be in it made him gag. Mostly he didn't tell her because it wasn't going to stop either of them from eating it.

"Hell yes I do."

Steve smiled and leaned foward to press his lips to Bucky's. Before it could turn to a bit more than a press of lips, Bucky pulled back.

"But, I um, don't wanna go back. To the store. And I don't know how to make brownies."

"Neither do I."

***

"Clint? It's Steve."

" _Kate, shush! Captain America's calling me_. Hey, Cap. What's up? Baking going okay?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you could pick up some ingredients for us."

"Wha -- Why? You can get a box at the super market."

"You've still got that apartment in Brooklyn, right? Do you know how to make double fudge chocolate chunk brownies from scratch? We need the ingredients. Minus milk, flour and eggs."

"Steve, my diet consists of two things: pizza and coffee. I have _no idea_ how to make double fudge chocolate chunk brownies from scratch."

Steve sighed dramatically.

"But unfortunately, you did think it was a good idea to tell two super soldiers from the Great Depression to bake. And we can't go back to Stop and Shop. I need your help, Hawkeye. _America_ needs your help.

He heard Clint mutter something that sounded like " _goddammit_ " and " _I hope Kate knows how to bake_."

Whoever said Steve rogers was not a crafty little shit who would do anything for Bucky Barnes is so wrong that they are listed as the arch-nemesis of right in multiple places.

"Alright, Cap, you've got me. I'll get you brownie stuff that doesn't come out of a box. Would cyborg be up for a knife throwing contest?"

***

Sam was wrong, this was a _great idea_.

It was going surprisingly well, considering neither of the two knew how to bake. As the brownies sat in the oven for 15-20 minutes, Steve and Bucky cleaned up the horrendous mess they had managed to make.

Steve heard Green Day's _American Idiot_ playing _,_ which meant his phone was ringing. (After Bucky had been introduced to modern music, he had changed Steve's ringtone.)

"Stark." Steve said into the phone after seeing the caller ID and Tony's profile picture (in which, Stark is posing with a cardboard cut-out of Steve).

"Captain! Nice to hear that you're well and alive. Barton said you're making brownies, so when are you having the team over?"

"We were kinda baking for ourselves, Tony."

"Yes but that's a lot of sugar for two guys, and Wilson said you already promised him some, so why not invite the whole gang?"

"What, do you guys have tea parties when Bucky and I aren't there?"

He heard a _No!_ and a _Shut it, hawk!_ in the background.

"Natasha says she need to test your baking skills. And so do I, actually. Plus Bruce got this really cool tea thing that actually tastes like chocolate so he'll bring that. Oh, and Thor has never had brownies."

Steve looked at Bucky and knew he had been listening to the whole conversation. Bucky shrugged in a way that said ' _why not_ ' and ' _we do have a lot of brownies actually_.'

Avengers brownie party it is, then.

***

Steve and Bucky were in the elevator going to Tony's floor, the decided meeting place for the brownie unveiling.

Steve was actually excited to show his friends his brownies, and he loved to see his new friends and Bucky being, well, friends.

When they arrived, Thor was telling stories of Asgardian sweets.

"There is a pastry that tastes of honey and strange spices, it is sweet but sharp, I believe you may like it, Natasha."

"Bring it next time and I'll let you have some of my Tula Gingerbread." Thor looked very happy about this, as did Clint.

"Oh, man, are you making some of that soon?" He asked from the arm chair in Tony's spacious living room, where he was in some bird-like position.

"That depends on whether or not I like James and Rogers' brownies." She said, turning to greet them.

"You still make Tula Gingerbread?" Bucky sounded a bit nostalgic. Natasha smirked and took the plate of brownies out of Steve's hands.

"Tea's ready!" Bruce called from the kitchen.

"This is made entirely of chocolate?" Thor asked Bucky as Bruce handed out eight mugs filled with a light brown liquid.

"Yeah, chocolate and sugar. Can't beat it." Bucky said. Steve and him sat down on the couch, next to Sam.

Steve was glad Bucky was so comfortable around the team.

"Well, I think we'll be the judge of whether or not we can beat it. Bruce, how did you make this tea? I don't own anything even remotely related to tea and never have." Tony asked.

Bruce shrugged and smiled mysteriously. "I have a way with tea."

"Hey, guys, these brownies better seriously be good. I haven't had Nat's gingerbread in a, I dunno, really long time." Clint said as he took one off the plate. Sam followed suit.

"Yeah man, I mean, if they're not that's okay, but I'll be kinda disappointed." Sam told them.

"You've got nothing to worry about. They'll be great." Steve reassured him.

The double fudge chocolate chunk brownies _were_ great. Thanks to Steve and Bucky (okay, minor credit to Clint), the team has started having unofficial dessert parties every week. A week later they had Natasha's Tula Gingerbread and Thor's Asgardian honey pastry, which he actually made himself (and that's kind of funny, when you think about it, that the god of thunder baked for a team of superheros). Jane, Darcy, Pepper, and Rhodey start coming to the dessert parties, too. It's a good thing Tony has so much room in his living room.

**Author's Note:**

> because domestic avengers are very important to me.  
> there are a lot of references to Matt Fraction's Hawkeye comics and i can't find it in myself to be sorry because those comics are _amazing_  
>  thank you for reading!!  
> it's kind of more of an avengers fluff than a stevebucky fluff but that was an involuntary choice  
> [my tumblr](http://bcucky.tumblr.com)  
> OH BTW [THIS](http://turkugingerbread.blogspot.com/2011/11/russian-pryaniki-tula-gingerbread.html) IS TULA GINGERBREAD. IT'S RUSSIAN  
> also, if you haven't read hawkeye comics or young avengers comics you're probably confused on the "Kate" comment made by Clint. learn about the awesomeness that is Kate Bishop [here](http://marvel.wikia.com/Katherine_Bishop_%28Earth-616%29).


End file.
